Method of opening a wound coil



.Nov. 12, 1963 J. R. MURPHY 3,110,099

METHOD OF OPENING A WOUND COIL Filed May 8, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 \l k KFig. 4 I

Fig. 2

INVENTOR.

JOHN R. MURPHY Ma/Vim ATTORNEYS Nov. 12, 1963' J. R. MURPHY 3,110,099

METHOD OF OPENING A WOUND COIL Filed May 8, 1962 3.Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

JOHN- R. MURPHY ATTORNEYS Nov. 12, 1963 J. R. MURPHY 3,110,099

METHOD OF OPENING A WOUND COIL Filed May a, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 3 JOHNR. MURPHY MgM ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ohio Filed May 8, 1962,Ser. No. 193,691 Claims. (Cl. 29-426) This invention relates generallyto methods of handling coils of metal.

In the handling of coils of sheet steel or steel strip, for variousprocessing operations, such as heat treatment or annealing, it isconventional procedure to use metal strapping or bands to hold theconvolutions of the coil securely together, so that the coil will notbecome unwound or damaged during such processing operations. Thisrequires the use of special tools for applying and removing thestrapping or bands, and in the use of such tools, the outermostconvolution or convolutions of the coil are damaged to an extentrequiring the removal and scrapping of such convolutions.

The use of such strapping or hands creates a further problem, in thatthe strapping or hands must be scrapped, so that not only is a storageproblem created, but this type of scrap, being of the high-carbonvariety, is of a nature such that it has little or no value.

The present invention has as its primary object a method of handlingcoils of sheet steel, steel strip, or coils of other metals, for variousprocessing operations, which method not only eliminates the need formetal strapping or bands during the processing operations, but alsoeliminates the use of the special tools or devices for applying andremoving the strapping or hands.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of the characterdescribed, which eliminates the bandscrapping to which reference hasbeen made.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of thecharacter described, in which the extent of scrapping of the outermostconvolutions of the coil is reduced to a minimum, so that the maximumamount of usable sheet or strip is provided.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel method ofremoving the outermost convolution of the coil, following the processingoperation or operations.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during thecourse of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificaion, and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a coil of strip or sheet metal, :andshowing the manner of closing the coil;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the coil of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the step of opening thecoil;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale,taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevtational view of :a novel portable power-drivensaw for producing the cut or slot shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 ofFIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the saw, as viewed from the rightside of FIG. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 1designates generally a coil of metal sheet or strip, the outer end ofwhich is designated by reference numeral 2, the outermost convolution ofwhich is designated by reference numeral 3, and the convolutionunderlying the convolution 3 being designated by reference numeral 4.

Prior to subjecting the coil 1 to a processing operation, such asannealing, the convolution 3 of the coil is spot welded to theconvolution 4, as by a series of spot welds 5, disposed closely adjacentthe end 2 of the coil, and in a line substantially parallel with the end2. Any number of spot welds may be used, in general, two or three suchspot welds will be suflicient to secure the convolution -3 to theconvolution 4.

Following the processing operation, the coil is opened by saw-cutting orother-wise cutting through the convolution 3, as indicated by referencenumeral 6 in FIGS. 3 and 4, and along a line parallel with the line ofspot welds 5.

In theory it would be desirable to confine the depth of the cut 6 to thedepth or thickness of the convolution 3 of the coil, since this is allthat is necessary to open the coil, that is, to permit the convolution 3to spring away from the convolution 4, but in practice, it would beextremely diflicult to produce such a cut, without damaging the outersurface of the convolution 4 of the coil.

Consequently, it is preferred that the depth of the cut 6 be such as topenetrate slightly into the convolution 4-, as indicated at 6a in FIG.4.

Following this cutting operation, the convolution 3, due to its inherentresilienc will spring away from the convolution 4, to a position such asindicated by the broken lines in FIG. 4, thus facilitating peeling ofthe convolution 3 from the coil. After the convolution 3 has been thuspeeled from the coil, it may be readily removed from the coil, as byshearing through the portion of the convolution 4 which is below cut 6a.

In this manner, the convolution 3, including the portion thereof whichis spot welded to'the convolution 4, may be quickly and easily removedand scrapped, leaving a clean coil, substantially all of which, with theexception of a single convolution, is usable.

Although the cut 6-6:: may be made in various ways, and by variousmeans, it is preferred, for reasons to be presently discussed, to makethe cut by means of a portable high speed circular saw, such, forexample, as a saw of the type disclosed in Koett Patent 2,502,656.

A saw of this type, as modified for this particular operation, is shownmore or less diagrammatically in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 of the dnawings, the saw will be seen tocomprise a motor 7, having handles 8 and 9 secured to the sides thereof,whereby the saw may be moved laterally across the coil when the cut 66ais to be made.

The shaft 10 of the motor 7 has mounted on one end thereof a gear 11,which drives a circular saw 12, through a pinion 13, which is revolublymounted on a shaft 14 which extends from the motor housing, below theshaft 10.

Secured to the motor housing is a frame, generally designated byreference numeral 15, and comprising a cross-member 16, and spaced guidemembers 17 and 18, having tnacks 19 in their inboard edges. The members17 and 18 are provided at their lower ends with rollers 20, whichfacilitate handling of the portable saw.

Mounted for adjustable vertical movement in the tracks 19 is a plate 21which has journalled in its lower portion a pair of spaced wheels 22,which are adapted to roll along the surface of the coil when the cut 66ais being made.

It may be noted, at this point, that the plate 21 is provided on itsinner or rear surface with a cavity 23 into which the saw 12 extends, sothat the saw and wheels 22 are substantially coplanar with each other.

Means have also been provided for controlling the depth of the outwithin thousandths of an inch. For this purpose, the cross-member 16 ofthe frame 15 has 3 mounted therein a screw 24 which is rotatable in thecross member but is confine-d against vertical displacement from thecross-member. The screw 24 has threads of extremely fine pitch, and isthreadedly secured to the plate 21.

The screw is rotated by means of a dial 25 which is secured to thescrew, and has graduations 26 on its periphery, which graduations coactwith an index mark 27 on the cross-member 16, for the purpose of settingor adjusting the plate 21 to any desired elevation.

. By turning the dial, the vertical distance between the periphery ofthe saw 12 and the bottom of the Wheels 22 may be adjusted to anydesired extent, within thousandths of an inch, to thereby control thedepth of the cut 6-6a.

In making the cut 66a, the saw is guided manually across the coil fromone edge of the convolutions 3 and 4 to the opposite edge of suchconvolutions.

For reasons of safety and efiiciency, the handles 8 and 9 are provided,so that control of the saw may be passed from an operator at one side ofthe coil to an operator at the other side of the coil, so that when theconvolution 3 of the coil rises, after the out has been made, neitheroperator Will be in a position to be struck or injured thereby. In thisconnection, it may be noted that the control of the saw need not passfrom one operator to another, and that a single operator, after the sawhas proceeded to a point adjacent the midpoint of the coil, may move tothe opposite side of the coil and complete the cut by pulling the saw.

Following annealing operations and the like, the outer convolution orface of the coil is sometimes buckled or irregular in contour. In suchcases, and due to the fact that the saw 12 touches the strip along onlya point or short line, and the wheels 22 are disposed fairly close tothe saw and to each other, the saw will easily follow the irregularcontour, so that the depth of the cut will be unifomn across the entirecoil.

It is thus seen that I have provided a method of handling coils of sheetsteel, steel strip, or coils of other metals, for various processingoperations, which method eliminates the need for metal strapping orbands, the use of special tools for applying and removing the strappingor hands, and the problem of band scrap disposal, and which reduces to aminimum the amount of coil sorap ping.

It is also seen that I have provided a novel portable saw for practicingthe method which has been described, and which is highly advantageousfor the purposes of the invention.

*It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shownand described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, andthat various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement ofparts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of opening a wound coil of metal consisting of amultiplicity of convolutions, which coil has been subjected to aprocessing operation and in which the end of the coil, prior to theprocessing operation, has been welded to a convolution of the coilunderlying the outermost convolution of the coil, said method comprisingthe step of producing a cut through the outermost convolution of thecoil entirely transversely of the coil along a line adjacent the weldedarea, the depth of the out being greater than the thickness of saidoutermost convolution but less than the combined thicknesses of theoutermost convolution and the underlying convolution, displacing theoutermost convolution of the coil from the underlying convolution, andthen removing said outermost convolution from the coil and scrappingsame.

2. The method, as defined in claim 1, in which after said cut has beenmade, the portion of said coil between the end of the coil and the cutin said underlying convolution is removed for scrapping.

3. The method, as defined in claim 1, in which, after said displacement,the cut through the underlying convolution is completed to the entirethickness of the underlying convolution.

4. The method, as defined in claim 1, in which said out is produced bymeans of a circular saw moving transversely of said coil.

5. The method, as defined in claim 2, in which said out is produced bymeans of a circular saw moving transversely of said coil.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS833,382 Greif Oct. 16, 1906 962,530 Ross June 28,1910 1,963,745Ingersoll et a1. June 19, 1934 2,160,588 Granfie'ld May 30, 19392,219,182 Granfield Oct. 22, 940 2,285,209 Katz June 2, 1942 2,487,327Ganter Nov. 8, 1949 2,947,065 Moody et a1. Aug. 2, 1960 2,960,756Treanor Nov. 22, 1960 2,961,907 Hohlbein Nov. 29, 1960

1. THE METHOD OF OPENING A WOUND COIL OF METAL CONSISTING OF AMULTIPLICITY OF CONVOLUTIONS, WHICH COIL HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO APROCESSING OPERATION AND IN WHICH THE END OF THE COIL, PRIOR TO THEPROCESSING OPERATION, HAS BEEN WELDED TO A CONVOLUTION OF THE COILUNDERLYING THE OUTERMOST CONVOLUTION OF THE COIL, SAID METHOD COMPRISINGTHE STEP OF PRODUCING A CUT THROUGH THE OUTERMOST CONVOLUTION OF THECOIL ENTIRELY TRANSVERSELY OF THE COIL ALONG A LINE ADJACENT THE WELDEDAREA, THE DEPTH OF THE CUT BEING GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAIDOUTERMOST CONVOLUTION BUT LESS THAN THE COMBINED THICKNESSES OF THEOUTERMOST CONVOLUTION AND THE UNDERLYING CONVOLUTION, DISPLACING THEOUTERMOST CONVOLUTION OF THE COIL FROM THE UNDERLYING CONVOLUTION, ANDTHEN REMOVING SAID OUTERMOST CONVOLUTION FROM THE COIL AND SCRAPPINGSAME.